PROJECT 1

The purpose of the ‘Leading Into the Future Project' is to get you actively engaged in integrating your learning in the course with your career - and community improvement. The project should provide you with great opportunities to get school credit for actively finding ways to improve the organization in which you work. It will also help to foster your long-term understanding of Leadership, and help you better understand the complexity of many of the issues managers / leaders must face

You have been appointed as the new Executive Director/ CEO / President where you work (or where you have worked recently), and have been asked to make a report to the Board and Staff of your vision and plan for the organization for the next 5 - 10 years.
More specifically, your report should address:

1) What changes do you see on the horizon for the organization or sub sector? What emerging trends do you think are likely to impact the organizations efforts toward impact and sustainability? This will set the context for your vision and plan going forward. You are setting the stage for proactive leadership and proactive efforts to ensure organization success in impact, finances, and people.

2) What is your assessment of the current vision, mission, and strategic plan for the organization? From what you know about the organization and sub sector, how might the vision, mission or strategic plan need to be modified or redesigned? If there is not a clear vision, mission or strategic plan, how would you go about refining or creating them?

3) What is your assessment of the current "business models" for the organization? Of the core programs for the organization (and perhaps based on the program matrix), what programs seem strong in both impact and finances? Which might need to be reworked to better align impact and finances? What programs might need to be reduced or eliminated because they do not align with future vision or do not seem sustainable going forward?

4) What ideas do you have for improving the programs discussed above? How might you need to focus on additional resources, define or redefine outcomes and impact, or make other changes to strengthen existing programs for organizational impact and sustainability?

5) What other areas do you think will need to be address to align the organization for success, based on the above context and discussions? Are there changes or visions for staffing, the board of directors, evaluation and assessment, organizational culture, or other areas that will need to be considered to help ensure your vision and direction for the future are realized?

6) What do you see as the initial steps in moving forward? Where do you think the organization should start? What do you see as the next steps after the initial efforts?

7) Finally, what key roles do you see yourself playing in all this? What roles do you see for the board? Staff? Volunteers? Clients? Others?